A man broke into Old Town Kern's historic Luigi's Restaurant late Tuesday night, grabbed a fire extinguisher and began spraying fire retardant inside the popular location. Manuel Roque, 27, of Bakersfield, was arrested Wednesday by Bakersfield police on charges of burglary and vandalism in connection with the break-in.

Just about everything had to be cleaned Wednesday morning at Luigi's — glasses, dishes, tabletops, chairs, floors, pots, pans, and shelves — after a vandal broke into the historic restaurant in east Bakersfield late Tuesday night and sprayed a fire extinguisher all over. Lanette Valpredo, one of the members of the family that operates the local landmark, said her "amazing crew of dedicated workers" came in early to help clean up. The restaurant was ready and open by lunchtime.

Luigi's in Old Town Kern has been a Bakersfield landmark for more than a century. But even its historic status can't protect the restaurant, deli and wine shop from a wave of vandalism and malicious mischief that has been plaguing the area.

A man broke into Old Town Kern's historic Luigi's Restaurant late Tuesday night, grabbed a fire extinguisher and began spraying fire retardant inside the popular location. Manuel Roque, 27, of Bakersfield, was arrested Wednesday by Bakersfield police on charges of burglary and vandalism in connection with the break-in.

Contributed

Just about everything had to be cleaned Wednesday morning at Luigi's — glasses, dishes, tabletops, chairs, floors, pots, pans, and shelves — after a vandal broke into the historic restaurant in east Bakersfield late Tuesday night and sprayed a fire extinguisher all over. Lanette Valpredo, one of the members of the family that operates the local landmark, said her "amazing crew of dedicated workers" came in early to help clean up. The restaurant was ready and open by lunchtime.

Contributed

Luigi's in Old Town Kern has been a Bakersfield landmark for more than a century. But even its historic status can't protect the restaurant, deli and wine shop from a wave of vandalism and malicious mischief that has been plaguing the area.

Late Tuesday night, the senselessness of it all struck Luigi's, the historic and much-loved restaurant and delicatessen in east Bakersfield's Old Town Kern.

"A man broke through the double door, walked into the big dining room, grabbed a fire extinguisher and started spraying that white stuff all over," said Lanette Valpredo, a member of the family that operates the local landmark.

"He didn't even try to steal anything," she said.

Instead, the man sprayed clouds of flame retardant all over the dining area and coffee service room. Once it settled, every surface was covered with a fine, white powder.

"It's heart-wrenching," Valpredo said, referring not only to the Tuesday night incident, but the wider problem that is affecting businesses all over Bakersfield, especially in downtown Bakersfield and historic but struggling east Bakersfield.

Thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Old Town Kern to experience the Basque restaurants, the Pyrenees Bakery and see the old rail depot and the horse rings that still exist at Luigi's, which were once used by customers to tie up their horses.

"People come by the busload to visit this area," Valpredo said. "This is what they see. Old Town Kern is a disaster zone."

On Wednesday, Manuel Roque, 27, of Bakersfield, was arrested by Bakersfield police on charges of burglary and vandalism in connection with the break-in, a development that provided Valpredo with some encouragement.

But this city is experiencing a crisis, she said, and waiting for additional police officers to be hired and trained is a long-term solution that won't solve the current crisis.

"We should have our own dedicated police officer," she said. "We've been here 110 years. We can't just move."

And the city's beautification projects "seem to stop at Union Avenue."

Still, Valpredo was heartened this week by what she described as her "amazing crew of dedicated workers" who came in early Wednesday morning to help clean up the mess.

"They dialed it in," she said.

And by lunchtime the restaurant was ready and open for business.

Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.

“We need our own dedicated police officer”. Really? Make sure to include the dedicated car as well so that he can spend 24/7 patrolling your restaurant. Do you have video of the perpetrator? Do you even have cameras? In your case the perp was caught, which is more than any of us peons can say when stuff is stolen from us. You make enough money to take some security measures, just like many of us do. Stop thinking you and your restaurant are so much more special than everyone else. #luigisprivilege.

She was referring to the area. Don’t be silly. No business owner expects they would get their own police officer and we all know this. The Californian put that ambiguous statement in there to create “a dialogue” but if you are so narrow minded that you think she speaks for herself and not the community around her, that’s your problem

@Patricia - Have you seen the video of the perp entering the building? No, you didn’t because there is none. If you are in an area that is run down you either invest in your own security measures or you ask for police to patrol your business. Hopefully this is a wake up call for them to invest in some of their own security. There are plenty of parts of Bakersfield that want increased police presence...

Lanette Valpredo: "We deserve a dedicated police officer".... What? Your business makes plenty of money. Hire security yourself. Have you ever heard of those roll down steel doors? There are plenty of ways to protect your business, and your "110" year old business is no more special than others.

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